Ah, Productivity *Updated*

This picture would probably make my husband cringe but honestly I smile everytime I look at my desk. My work surface is a disastor but I have had a lot of creative energy lately and I'm feeling good about what I have accomplished. I have only one layout left to do in my clients most current album and I've made the cutest little gift card holders for Christmas gifts. You may wonder what the amazing hive girl was doing during all this creativity? Well, messing up my previously organized buttons of course. Looking forward to the day when I can set her down with a table of play-doh, of course by then baby number two will be fascinated by my stuff. Do you realize that next year at Christmas I'll have a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old!?!? Crazy, crazy, crazy. Pictures of my oh so cute little bags to come. **Updated to show bags** Oh, also wanted to include this picture to show that my little helper also likes to clean up. Give the girl a sponge and she wipes everything!

Thanksgiving and Hives

Here are a few pics from our Thanksgiving. Brian's co-op Krisztina and her husband Tamash came to experience a little of our American holiday. It was so interesting talking to them about the difference of our cultures (they are from Budapest).

A couple days ago Kendall had something that caused her to break out in a couple of hive marks (I seriously mean a couple at the most four). She had some of my bread from a peanut butter sandwich that may have been the problem or it could have been the raisins she had from my trail mix since they probably had nut and seed 'stuff' on them. Well, in the past she has gotten these same marks from Benedryl (for cold symptoms). I went to the store and bought a different type of Benedryl thinking that it may have been the 'allergy' component of ours (cause really, who is allergic to Benedryl?). Well, yesterday the hives had spread to her torso and arms so I called the doctor and even though I expressed my concern they suggested the Benedryl. This morning it was all over her face too. We made a special trip to the pediatrician and they have prescribed her something different and want to do allergy testing on her when this is all cleared. Poor little Bug. She isn't behaving differently (maybe a little clingy) just looks pretty awful. This morning when she woke up she saw the Christmas tree with the lights for the first time. My plan was that she and I would add the ornaments, she liked the ornaments all right but she really just wanted to pull them all out of the box. Her favorite new accessory was the basket of old cards from friends and family, especially the photo cards, "BABY, DOG...."

We did finish the tree but the act of decorating has kind of made a mess so I'm going to go try to clean up a bit before Kendall wakes up!

Favorite Word

Kendall has a new favorite word. Her saying this really prooves to me that she is absorbing everything that we say. If I get anything out of the pantry or fridge Kendall says "share, share". This comes from me saying, "Come sit down and mommy will share". Now Brian and I are trying to incorporate this word into other situations, "share the blanket, share the toy..."

Jenn and Justin are on their way over, yippee. Excited to visit with them. I'll try to remember to take some pictures!

We've just been hanging out around the house lately. I did brave Wal-Mart today for groceries and it was oddly empty. Very close parking spot, no waiting at the checkout...the cashier said it has been so slow. Got some laundry and cleaning in my office completed, contemplating getting out the Christmas stuff. That's it for my update!

The best a gal can get

Some of you may know that my computer died a comple of months ago. Brian and I have been sharing his computer since then. When I cam home I found a new computer with a big red bow set up in my office. He is the BEST! I started crying when I saw it. He had even uploaded all my old files and photos that I had backed up and set up my email account too!

He also vacuumed the house and cleaned my car. I need to go out of town more often! This is one of my favorite pictures of him..so handsome. This was taken the week after our wedding (four years ago this month) in NYC.

I was looking through some of my old pictures and found this one. How sweet is she??

Greetings from Kansas

Lessons learned in Kansas:

Ashley:

1. Don't fix your hair in Kansas if you plan on going outside, the 50 mph windgusts leave you looking like Albert Einstein within 12 seconds of leaving the house.
2. Open the car door very cautiously, same winds try to rip the door either into the car next to you or just completely off the car alltogether.

Kendall:

1. Beware the golden retrievers tail, it may look friendly but it packs a punch
2. Beware the golden retrievers mouth, it may look friendly but it is smiling because it is trying to distract you long enough to steal your snack

Actually, everything is going along swimmingly. I love spending time with Jessy and Mitch they are such cool kids. Since being here Jessy has taught Kendall how to "pound it" which is some kind of gangsta hand shake. Kendall has also being doing a few new dance moves that no one really taught her. To the tune of "Head, Sholders, Knees and Toes" Kendall will still point to various body parts but then break off to 'drop it like it's hot'. :)

My poor husband is now at home, alone, trying to pass a kidney boulder (not a stone, a boulder). Poor guy. Happy Anniversary honey, I love you!!

Found this cool site. I love this kind of stuff, great for little glimpses of inspiration. Artist share what is currently on their desks: http://www.on-my-desk.blogspot.com/

I have become an obsessed woman.

So I have finally started to plan decorating the house. Nothing has really changed physically but the planning has begun. It will all start after Christmas (I will remain in the planning stage until then which is good because I have a tendency to change my mind). First two projects: Turn the guest closet into my 'office' and finish Kendall's room. She will have this bedding and wall color. I am going to make some cute felt collage pictures to frame that I saw in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and I have the ledges to create this photo grouping. Tomorrow we find out the sex of the baby so I can start to plan his/her room. I have some ideas for the wall color in our living room and I also found a framed photo grouping I want to recreate over our couch.

I start my sixth month of pregnancy on Thursday so my "free time" is running out. If I've waited 1.5 years to do this much think how much harder it will be with two kids demanding my time!!! Better get what I can done now. It's hard to believe that I'm five months preggy. At this point in my pregnancy with Kendall Brian and I flew here from Boston for our annual Brown County Valentines Cabin weekend with our friends. Lorie took my pregnancy photos and my belly was huge!!! I was just a couple weeks further along! I am not sure if strangers can tell if I'm pregnant or not now.

Oh well, my good little monkey has been playing so well, I think that I'm going to go play with her for a little while. We're working on a new sticker book that she really likes :O)

MY PHOTOS STILL WONT LOAD!??!!

Long time no bloggy. I have actually been pretty productive lately cleaning & activity planning for Kendall...which has left little time for blogging. The threat of bodily harm from Lorie has spured me back into action though, ha. Tuesday is the big sonogram day, we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby, whoppee!!! I can't wait. I think that Kendall may be going through a growth spurt, for the first time in her life (well, since solids were introduced) she is eating a ton. She'll finish one thing and then tell me what she wants, "nan na" "cheese", neither of these things will be in her sight but she will know what she wants, too cute. She has learned a lot of songs lately that she likes to 'act out' such as "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (she is always a few body parts behind the words though) "Three Little Monkeys" (she touches her head and shakes her finger like the dr would, 'no more monkeys jumping...') "Ring Around the Rosies" thankfully she does this on her own and she doesn't require me to hold her hands. I don't think I could do it so many times in a row as she does. For a few days she started to refuse kisses, she has always been our huggy, kissy girl so this was shocking but now that she has learned the names of facial features it is fun again, "Kiss mommy's cheek". She participates more at story time at the library and she is finally facing forward in the car seat!!! I love it and she really loves it. For the first time ever she noticed that we have cows near our neighborhood. She points them out, "Tahows" then she says "bye bye tahows" and waves. The other day we drove by a deer that had been hit by a car on the interstate and Kendall said, "uh-oh". Yeah, honey that is a big uh-oh!

Kendall and I are looking forward to spending nine days with Jessy and Mitch this month (and a couple days with Jeff and Sara too). I think that her Aunt Sara is looking forward to squeezing a Little Bug :) Well, I'll leave you with a few Halloween shots. She did really well, wasn't scared of anything but the time change really threw her for a loop and she got tired really early.

PS my pictures wont upload, I'll try again later.